Principle

1. Rotameter
Rotameter is a direct reading area meter which consists of a gradually
tapered glass tube mounted vertically in a frame with large end up. A conic
float is placed in the pipe and the upward fluid flow causes the float to rise.
The greater the flow rate, the higher the float rises in the tube. When the
upward pressure and buoyancy forces equal to the gravitational force, the
volumetric or mass flow rate can be read out on the scale on glass tube. The
readout point is at the largest cross-sectional area of float.
2. Venturi meter
Venturi tubes a very common differential pressure flow meters because of its
high pressure and energy recovery. It is a double cone shaped pipe which
employs a temporary restriction or narrowing in its length to reduce the
pressure and increase the velocity of a fluid or gas passing through it. A
gradual contraction and expansion of the tube diameter reduces drag and
thus results to a low-pressure loss. The narrowest part of the tube is called
the throat where here the fluid velocity is the largest and the pressure drop
will reach minimum due to the partial pressure potential converts to velocity
potential,
3. Orifice meter
The main structures of orifice meter are orifice plate and pressure meter.
Orifice plate is a plate with a circular hole in the middle of it that is connected
to a pressure meter using connectors at the sides. When fluid flows through
the whole, the velocity increases and causes vortex, resulting in larger
friction loss. The orifice coefficient (Co) can be derived by Bernoulli equation
The diameter of orifice and upstream tube used in this experiment are 19
mm and 28.8 mm, respectively. Co is 0.61 theoretically as Reynolds number >
104
4. Triangular weir
Weir is a barrier across the horizontal width of a flow that alters the flow
characteristics of the fluid. A triangular weir (V notch weir) is used to meter
flow in an open channel. As the liquid level is higher than the notch bottom,
the fluid will flow out from the weir. The volumetric flow rate is function of
liquid level and shape of weir (notch).
5. friction loss in straight tube
The friction loss will occur as the fluid flows through pipe, valve, pump.
There are two kinds of friction phenomena in pipes; first is skin friction is the
friction generated at the boundary layer between fluid and pipe due to the
effect of the fluid's viscosity near the surface of the pipe. The form friction is
resulted from the change of flow path of fluid to form vortex, so the energy of
fluid is lost.